The present invention relates generally to an attachment for an operating table and, more specifically, to an operating table attachment adapted to support a tray within the sterile field of the operating table and to be raised or lowered in conjunction with the raising or lowering of the operating table.
During a typical surgical procedure, a surgeon may require the use of various instruments or devices to aid in the surgery. Due to the nature of surgery, it is important that any such instruments or devices be within easy reach of the surgeon and, moreover, be sterile. Current practice is to affix certain necessary devices, such as retractors or navigation devices, to rails on the side of an operating table. This is problematic in that the rails on the side of an operating table are located outside of the sterile field maintained during surgery. Manipulation of these devices at the point of attachment to the railing poses a risk of contamination.
With respect to instruments and the like needed during surgery, one prior art method of providing these instruments to a surgeon is to place them onto Mayo stands, which are then positioned over the legs of the patient during surgery. This is less than satisfactory, however, because at times during the surgical procedure, such as, for example, when lateral x-rays are required, the operating table must be raised or lowered. The corresponding need to raise or lower the Mayo stands is inconvenient, particularly given the fact that twenty pounds or more of instrumentation may be present on the stands, and also poses a risk of contamination.
What is needed, therefore, is an attachment for an operating table that will raise and lower with the operating table, provide a surface for instrumentation and the like within the sterile field, and provide a rail or other attachment portion for devices within the sterile field.